Year in Review: Ross exploded onto the scene in 2007 with a .335/.411/.653 batting line in 197 plate appearances. It was enough to earn him a starting gig in 2008 and, while not as impressive, he still posted respectable power numbers, finishing the season with a .345 wOBA and an .804 OPS in 506 plate appearances. He was given even more responsibility in 2009 and paid back the favor with 24 dingers and 94 RBI. He also lowered his strikeout rate and stole five bases. But we may have seen the peak of his abilities. Ross, now 29 years of age, has shown no signs of becoming a prolific power hitter and had a .274 batting average in nine seasons on the farm. He draws very few walks (just 34 in 2009) and 22-year-old Cameron Maybin is inching closer towards a breakout.

The Year Ahead: The Marlins are a smart organization and know it wouldn't be wise to simply drop Ross' power potential from the lineup, but they're just about ready to hand center-field duties to Maybin. That would mean moving Ross to right field, where he, for whatever reason, posted a dismal .260/.291/.439 batting line in 57 games last season. It's typically crazy to give those kind of situational numbers too much credit, but they're at least worth considering. Another season of 600-plus plate appearances is likely to yield another season of 20-plus homers and 85-plus RBI. But Ross has probably reached his potential as an offensive player and shouldn't be valued highly in long-term fantasy leagues. (Drew Silva)

Profile: Cody Ross was quite a story in the 2010 postseason, but it was only two months earlier when the Marlins placed Ross on waivers after a respectable .270/.321/.469 in 2009. The Giants claimed him, and Ross proceeded to hit .288/.354/.466 the rest of the season (albeit, in a small sample of 82 plate appearances with a whopping BABIP of .360). Two NLCS home runs off Roy Halladay, one off Roy Oswalt, and a World Series ring later, Ross has hopes for a pay raise in 2011 before his first chance at free agency in 2012. Still, don’t be too certain about optimistic projections for a 2011 season. He will hit closer to his 2010 batting line than most will think: his career batting line is .265/.323/.466. He should hit 20 HRs and 70 RBIs, but his lack of patience at the plate (he walks fewer than 40 times and strikes out more than 120 times a season) will keep his average suppressed to .270. Important: keep tabs on whom manager Bruce Bochy names as his Opening Day starters. If Ross can’t maintain such production in 2011, he may get pushed out of the Giants’ crowded outfield. (Albert Lyu)

The Quick Opinion: Ross made quite a name for himself in the 2010 postseason, but realistically will hit no higher than .270/.330/.470 in 2011. That should be good for 20 HRs and 70 RBIs, but keep an eye on the Giants' crowded outfield.

Profile: The Giants’ surprise post-season hero from 2010 did not produce much in 2011 after starting the season on the DL with a calf injury. Indeed, Ross has been in the majors since 2003 but played only three full seasons – 2008, 2009 and 2010. In 2012, he’ll be in his age-32 season, coming off a below-average season. He hit .240 but brought his wOBA up to .321 with a career-high walk rate of 10.6%. But his strikeout rate was also near a career high, reaching 20.8% for the season. Ross is now a Red Sock, which might mean regular playing time, or might mean a platoon. Fenway might help his power numbers, but he's a fringe fantasy outfielder in most formats. (Wendy Thurm)

The Quick Opinion: The 2010 post-season hero turned into the 2011 regular-season dud. Ross is older than he might seem, and even his best fantasy seasons were "meh" at best.

Profile: After enjoying a bounceback season within the friendly confines of Fenway, Ross was squeezed out of the Red Sox outfield picture by the signings of Shane Victorino and Jonny Gomes. He eventually wrangled a three-year deal from the Arizona Diamondbacks, switching back to the National League after a one-year absence. Ross joins a crowded outfield in Phoenix, and therefore, there's a real possibility he ends up with closer to 500 plate appearances than 600 -- extrapolating his Boston numbers out to a true full-time role is a risky proposition. While Chase Field's park effects typically signal improved production from hitters versus the majority of other big league parks, Mike Podhorzer broke down the Fenway/Chase comparison and discussed Ross' prospects for 2013. Fenway's Green Monster tends to aid right-handed hitter batting average on balls in play thanks to increased singles and doubles, but also hurts homers. Because of this, Ross may see a small uptick in home runs per fly ball but also a corresponding decrease in BABIP and other non-HR hits. He's a pretty safe bet to come close to replicating his 22 homers from a year ago, but owners expecting dramatic improvement on those numbers are likely to be disappointed. (Colin Zarzycki)

The Quick Opinion: Now with the outfield-laden Diamondbacks, Ross can't be counted on for a season of full-time at bats, even with a new $9-million-per-year salary. Since he offers little in the speed/average departments, his value stems from his pop, and with 2012 ISO and home-run-per-fly-ball improvements that aren't out of line with career norms, penciling him in for 20 homers should be a safe bet.

Profile: Prior to being shut down in August for hip surgery, the 33-year old Ross was having an interesting season for the Diamondbacks in 2013. He wasn't hitting for as much power as usual, likely due to the hip problems he was having, but he was hitting for a higher average thanks to a significant drop in strikeouts -- from 24.4% in 2012 to just 14.4% last year -- while maintaining a very similar walk rate. His recovery time from surgery is supposed to carry into the early part of spring training, but he is expected to be ready for the start of the season. If he can retain last year's plate discipline numbers and regain his power stroke, then Ross stands a good chance of being a decent fantasy contributor in 2014. However, the addition of Mark Trumbo likely means that Ross will play the part of the right-handed bat in a straight-up platoon with Gerardo Parra over in left field. That will certainly eat into his at-bats, but given his role over the last three seasons, it shouldn't affect his overall fantasy value too much. (Howard Bender)

The Quick Opinion: After being shut down early and undergoing hip surgery last season, Ross will return to a platoon role with the Diamondbacks this season and share time in left field with Gerardo Parra. If he can maintain his plate discipline numbers from 2013 and his power returns now that surgery has fixed his hip, Ross should post a decent fantasy value, particularly for those in deep leagues or play in leagues with daily roster moves to allow for greater use of platoon players.

Profile: It would appear that the days of Ross being a relevant fantasy player are over. There was some hope that he could return to 2012 form after a disappointing 2013 season in which he was plagued by injuries. But Ross only got 219 plate appearances last year, and he didn't miss too much time because of injury. He missed the first couple weeks of the season and was out for August, but he was only on pace to get about 300 PA had he been healthy all year. He's definitely fifth among outfielders on Arizona's depth chart, so you can't expect more than 300 PA from him. If a rash of injuries led to more regular work for Ross, he could maybe give you decent average and a little pop. But that's not really worth anything outside of an NL-only league. (Brett Talley)

The Quick Opinion: Ross is a fifth outfielder at this point in his career and is unlikely to have much value unless forced into a more regular role because of injuries to others. Even with regular work, Ross is just an NL-only play.